Tony Stubblefield looks to bring DePaul back to national relevancy
CHICAGO (BVM) – DePaul head coach Tony Stubblefield gave Blue Demon fans a lot to be hopeful about after going 15-16 this past season. It was the best record for a first-year DePaul head coach since the 2002-2003 season.
Prior to accepting the DePaul job in April 2021, Stubblefield served as an assistant at Oregon, Cincinnati, New Mexico State, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at San Antonio and his alma mater, Nebraska-Omaha.
Most recently, Stubblefield found a lot of success as an assistant under Oregon head coach Dana Altman, winning four regular season Pac-12 conference championships and three Pac-12 conference tournament titles. The Ducks also earned a Final Four appearance in 2017.
Stubblefield also helped Altman put together five recruiting classes that were ranked among the top 12 nationally. Stubblefield assisted in landing future NBA prospects including Troy Brown Jr., Louis King, Bol Bol and Payton Pritchard.
When it was time for Stubblefield to take the next step in his career, Altman had nothing but nice things to say.
“Tony has done an outstanding job representing our program and the University of Oregon,” Altman said when DePaul hired Stubblefield. “DePaul is getting a head coach with a tremendous work ethic and an extensive knowledge of the game. Tony’s contributions were instrumental towards the program’s success over the past 11 years.”
Just a little bit of chatter from some of the best in the business..
We've got a good one 😏@CoachTStubbs
cc: @UKCoachCalipari @CoachMickCronin pic.twitter.com/8RCoHJCJFE
— DePaul Basketball (@DePaulHoops) April 8, 2021
DePaul hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2004, and Stubblefield hopes to bring them back as a part of his vision for the program and what he hopes to accomplish.
“The opportunities here are limitless,” Stubblefield said at his first press conference. “There is no reason that DePaul shouldn’t be playing for Big East championships on a year–in and year–out basis, going to the NCAA Tournament, and making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. I want DePaul to be a team that other teams fear playing.”
Throughout his first year, the Blue Demons proved that they were trending in the right direction by racking up impressive victories such as beating Rutgers and defeating Louisville on the road. They also defeated No. 20 Seton Hall and then No. 21 Xavier on the road without their leading scorer, Javon Freeman-Liberty.
Additionally, DePaul put up a fight against some other talented teams this past season. They lost to Loyola Chicago by four points, lost to then No. 18 UConn by seven points, lost to then No. 11 Providence in overtime and led at halftime against then No. 19 Villanova before falling apart in the second half.
Alongside Freeman-Liberty, the Blue Demons received steady production from junior center Nick Ongenda who averaged 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Jalen Terry also had a strong season averaging 8.2 points per game, while junior forward Javan Johnson contributed 7.1 points per contest.
Stubblefield landed some key transfers this offseason such as former Oklahoma guard Umoja Gibson and former South Florida guard Caleb Murphy to pair with an already strong core.
Meanwhile, Stubblefield has also brought along his strength in recruiting to Chicago. The Blue Demons landed four-star guard Zion Cruz for this upcoming season. Cruz is ranked 72nd in the ESPN Top 100, an impressive catch for Stubblefield and the DePaul program.
With the return of Ongenda, Terry and Johnson, and the addition of the newcomers, Stubblefield should be expecting to move forward in his rebuild of this Blue Demons program in his second year.
